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James Obst
Education 507
Lesson Plan
Summer 1998

SUBJECT:  Language Arts, Comprehension
GRADE: First and/or Second

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

After previewing the illustrations, listening to the teacher read and discussing Sarah Roberts' story, Big Bird, Don't Cry the students will be able to:

1. Identify the reason Big Bird was unhappy. They will be able to understand that Big Bird, because of his height, is different from the rest of his friends on Sesame Street and is unable to play all the games that they play.

2. The students will also be able to identify the reason Big Bird became happier in the end of the story. They will be able to tell the teacher, in their own words, that Big Bird's friends changed the games in order to accommodate him. The students will be able to realize that if you exclude another person from an activity, you will be hurting their feelings.

INITIATION

1. The teacher will ask the students if they are familiar with Big Bird and all his friends on Sesame Street. The anticipated response will be positive.

2. The teacher will allow the students to preview the illustrations of the story. As the students are looking at the illustrations, the teacher will ask them to point out what makes Big Bird different from all his friends. Some anticipated responses will be that he is yellow, he has a beak, he has feathers and that he is a bird. The desired response will be his size.

3. The teacher will also show some of the differences that all the characters in the story have, pointing out that we are all different in our own ways.

4. The teacher will ask the class to look at each other and point out the differences that they observe. Some anticipated responses will be that some are boys, some are girls, some are tall, the color of their hair and skin and the size of the individuals. Again, as the students do this, the teacher will be reminding them that we are all good, no matter what our differences. The teacher will also be asking questions as to whether we should treat people poorly because of the color of their hair, skin or their size. The anticipated responses will be an overwhelming, "NO!"

5. The teacher will be asking individual students how they would feel if someone did not want to play with them because they were a little different. The anticipated responses would be sadness and/or anger.

PROCEDURES/ACTIVITIES

1. The teacher will give the student a "FEELINGS BOOK". This book will have different pictures of facial expressions to identify happiness, sadness and anger. The students will look at each picture and be able to identify each expression.

2. The teacher will read the story, Don't Cry, Big Bird to the class. While reading, the teacher will be asking the students to predict, based on the story content and pictures what Big Bird is feeling and why he is feeling that way.

CLOSURE

1. The teacher will ask the students how they feel when they can not play with their friends. The students will be permitted to share personal experiences with the class, as it is anticipated that some students will want to.

2. The teacher will ask the students to find the mood, in their "Feelings Book", that they are in when they can not play with their friends. It is anticipated that most students will go to either the "sad" face or the "mad" face.

3. The teacher will ask the students how they feel when they can play with their friends. It is anticipated that most students will be happy. Again, the students may share a personal experience if they feel comfortable doing so.

4. The teacher will ask the students to find the mood, in the "Feeling Books" when they can play with their friends. It is anticipated that most students will go to the "happy" page.

5. The teacher will ask students how we should all treat other people. It is anticipated that the responses will be "in a good way".

EVALUATION

1. The teacher will ask the students for the reasons Big Bird was sad in the story. The anticipated responses will be because he was different from his friends and he was not able to play games with him. The desired response will be is if the students can understand that Big Bird's size was the difference that precluded him from playing games.

2. The teacher will ask the students to say what games he was unable to play. Based on the story, some of the anticipated responses will be jump rope, hide and go seek, hop scotch and on the seesaw.

3. The teacher will ask the students for the reasons Big Bird was happy at the end of the story. The anticipated responses will be because he could play with his friends, he was not lonely and he was having fun. The most desired response will be is if the students can identify that Big Bird's friends changed their games, just a little, to include him.

MATERIALS

1. Don't Cry, Big Bird by Sarah Roberts

2. "Feelings Books" for all students with a happy, sad and angry face describing the three major feelings

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